Steak-preparing and broiling method

ABSTRACT

A method for preparing a plurality of steaks or similar cuts of meat, as well as hamburgers and other ground meat patties, that consist in first drenching the same in cooking oil to seal the surfaces, preheating one or more of the several items of such a plurality at various temperatures and maintaining all of them at such preheated temperatures during the same time period, seasoning, marinating and otherwise treating all of said items similarly or, selectively, in different manners, and finally broiling or otherwise cooking all of the items under similar cooking conditions for the same cooking period so that all of the items will be cooked to the different consistencies varying with the preheating temperatures and may be served at the same time.

Ilnited States Patent Wood I [15] 3,656,979 Apr. W, I972 [54]STEAK-PREPARING ANID BROHJNG METHUD [72] Inventor: Ross C. Wood, 433California St., El Segundo, Calif. 90245 [22] Filed: Aug. 28, 1969 [21]Appl. No.: 853,689

[52] U.S. Cl ..99/107 [51] Int. Cl ..A22c 18/00 [58] Field of Search..99/107, 339, 386 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,169,0692/1965 Hanson etal. .L ..99/107 X 3,372,635 3/1968 Meyer... ..99/3393,079,913 3/1963 Nelson ..99/lO7X 3,353,968 ll/l967 Krasewski ..99/107XOTHER PUBLICATIONS Lord, Everybody s Cook Book, 1924, published by HenryHolt and Company, Pages 471, 472, and 490.

Primary Examiner-Hyman Lord Attorney-I-lyman Jack'man meat, as well ashamburgers and other ground meat patties,

that consist in first drenching the same in cooking oil to seal thesurfaces, preheating one or more of the several items of such aplurality at various temperatures and maintaining all of them at suchpreheated temperatures during the same time period, seasoning,marinating and otherwise treating all of said items similarly or,selectively, in different manners, and finally broiling or otherwisecooking all of the items under similar cooking conditions for the samecooking period so that all of the items will be cooked to the differentconsistencies varying with the preheating temperatures and may be servedat the same time.

4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure PATENTEDAPR 18 m2 3,656,970

INVENTOR. R055 C. W000 I TOENEV BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Inrestaurant service, especially where groups of people are to be servedwith steaks, the preparation and cooking times vary according to theconsistency or degree of cooking desired by the different peopleof suchgroups, some desiring their steaks rare, others well-done, and stillothers medium-cooked, or between the above-mentioned degrees of cooking.So that serving time may be conserved, all of the steaks that have beencooked to the requested rarer consistencies must wait for the steaksthat require most cooking time, i.e., those that are on the well-doneside. Under such circumstances, complaints that such steaks are coldfrequently follow. The steps of precooking at various levels of heat andthen broiling or otherwise cooking for the same time period underidentical heating conditions, will enable all of the steaks served to agroup of people to be started together and finished ready for serving atthe same time; yet each steak will be at the consistency desired.

It is recognized that warming or heating plates or counters are beingused to keep waiting food warm or, at least, to slow the cooling thereofbefore thesame is served; but, insofar as keeping steaks hot, such meansare not entirely satisfactory.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A method consisting of the steps of precookinga plurality of steaks for approximately the same time period at varyinglevels of temperatures substantially lower than broiling temperature,and then broiling all of said precooked steaks under the same broilingconditions during the same time period, so that all of the steaks areready to be served at the same time yet will be cooked to particularconsistencies, in the range between rare and well-done, as ordered. Inaddition to the above cooking steps, the method may entail the step ofdrenching in oil to seal in juices before preheating, and the step ofseasoning and/or marinating before broiling.

An object of the invention is to provide a steak-cooking method toimprove restaurant service and also reduce the costs attending saidservice, by starting the cooking process of a plurality of steaks,individually ordered to the tastes and desires of the patrons, all atthe same time and completing the cooking process of said steakssimultaneously, the same being cooked to the respective consistencies asordered.

Another object of the invention is to provide a steak-cooking method asabove, and having the additional advantage of enabling the serving of aplurality'of steaks while the same are still hot.

This invention also has for its object to provide a novel, economicaland convenient method or process of superior utilit This invention alsocomprises novel combinations of method steps, which will appear morefully in the course of the following description of the present methodor process, the same being based on the accompanying drawing. However,the following specification merely discloses one embodiment of thepresent invention, and the same is given by way of example only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The FIGURE is a semi-diagrammatic viewof means for precooking steaks according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In this disclosure and in theclaims, the term steaks" in addition to beefsteaks, includes the variouscuts of beef commonly called steaks" and also such other forms thereofas roasts, hamburgers and ground beef in fact, any items of meat thatare prepared to the different consistencies in the range between rareand well-done. Also, the term precooking is intended to define anypreheating to raise the temperature of frozen steaks, as well as thoseat room temperature and those that are refrigerated but not frozen, to apredetermined temperature.

The present steak-preparing and broiling method consists of theessential steps of precooking and broiling and the optional steps ofsealing in the juices in the steaks before precooking and of seasoningand/or marinating before broiling.

The drawing shows a preferred means for precooking the steaks, the samecomprising a hot plate 5, a number of heating units 6 beneath saidplate, an electric circuit 7 connecting each heater unit 6 to anelectric line 6, said circuits being preferably connected in parallelacross said line, and a thermostat or a rheostat 9 in each circuit 7which may be individually set to bring each unit 6 to a temperature thatwould precook a steak 10 disposed on the hot plate 5 and above eachheater unit to a predetermined consistency. A thermostat 11 may beprovided in each circuit 7, the same being normally closed and openingonly when the temperatures of the hot plate 5, serviced by the variousheater units 6, reach the respective temperatures for which set.

Assuming that a waiter is given an order for five similar steaks,sirloin steaks for instance, and the same are respectively ordered to bebroiled to different consistencies, as rare, medium-rare, medium,medium-well and well-done, and further assuming that five heater units 6are provided in conformance with the desired five difierent degrees ofprecooking, the rheostats 9 are adjusted so the units 6 will generatefive different temperatures to subject the portions of the hot plate 5thereabove, or an individual hot plate above each unit 6, accordingly,to the heat given off by the heater units. The

- settings of the rheostats will be different for steaks stored infreezers or those kept under refrigeration. For frozen steaks, therheostats 9 of the different circuits 7 may be set, respectively, at alow of 60 F. and a high of F., with each of the three circuits inbetween at temperatures within this range as set by the respectivethermostats or rheostats 9. The temperatures and the range thereof maybe changed for steaks of different thickness, but in any case the sameshould be set so that, during the same period of time, say 5 to 15minutes, the five steaks will be heated approximately to thetemperatures of the respective heater units that are precooking them.The above temperatures are given by way of example; in any case, thetemperatures for precooking should be materially lower than 200 F.

In the example given, at least one intermediate temperature in the rangeabove given may be selected according to the degree of rareness desired.Accordingly, such selection will be for a temperature between the lowand intermediate temperatures of the stated range for rarer precooking,and for a temperature between such intermediate temperatures and thehigh temperature of said range for less rare precooking.

As hereinabove indicated, the steaks may first be drenched in a cookingoil which may comprise melted butter, olive oil, or any of the oils,including various vegetable oils commonly used, to effect sealing of thesurfaces of the steaks. Whereas in the past, broiling heat was used forthis purpose, in the present case the substantially lower precookingheat is used and has served to retain the oil rather than evaporatingit, thereby providing improved sealing-in of the natural juices of thesteaks.

The steaks may be kept under the low precooking heat until it isadvisable to subject them to broiling heat. This will depend on whenserving of the cooked steaks will take place.

Before placing the steaks in a broiler or a plurality of broilers, thesame may be marinated in any of the usual ways and/or seasoned invarious common ways. In any case, the steaks are subjected to the samebroiling conditions for the same time period, which may be set for 5 to15 minutes. The broilers may be of the type that apply broiling heat toone side and, therefore, require the steaks to be turned, or they mayprovide for applying broiling heat to both sides at the same time.Regardless of the type of broiler used, the application of heat to thesteaks should be the same for all of them, for the purpose offinish-broiling so that the different steaks, according to the degree ofapplication of precooking heat, will be broiled to the respectiveconsistencies according to the precooking temperatures. The steaks willbe ready for serving at the same time: those precooked at the lowertemperatures will be rarest; those precooked at the higher temperatures,the most well-done; and the others in the medium range, as aboveindicated.

While the foregoing discloses what is now contemplated to be the bestmode of carrying out the invention, the same is, of course, subject tomodification without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

Iclaim:

1. A method for preparing a plurality of steaks that are to besimultaneously served and broiled to the state of rare or welldone or inbetween such consistencies as ordered, that consists in:

simultaneously precooking said plurality of steaks for the same periodof time within the range of 5 to minutes, those steaks to be rarest atabout the lowest temperature of a range between about 60 F and 100 F,those steaks to be most well done after final broiling at about thehighest temperature of said range, and those steaks to be broiled toconsistencies between rare and well-done at temperatures between the lowand high of said range, and thereafter simultaneously broiling saidprecooked steaks all under the same temperature conditions for the sameperiod of time.

2. A steak-preparing method according to claim 1 in which the steaks aredrenched in cooking oil before precooking to seal in the juices thereof.

3. A steak-preparing method according to claim 1 in which the steaks areseasoned and/or marinated between the precooking and broiling steps.

4. A steak-preparing method according to claim 2 in which the steaks areseasoned and/or marinated between the precooking and broiling steps.

2. A steak-preparing method according to claim 1 in which the steaks aredrenched in cooking oil before precooking to seal in the juices thereof.3. A steak-preparing method according to claim 1 in which the steaks areseasoned and/or marinated between the precooking and broiling steps. 4.A steak-preparing method according to claim 2 in which the steaks areseasoned and/or marinated between the precooking and broiling steps.